Within Canada and BC, there is no legal requirement for fitness leaders to be registered, trained, or associated with a specific organization. However, many employers or clients will look for Fitness Leaders that are registered or certified by a specific organization. There are several organizations within BC that provide registration and training and I would recommend touching base with your local fitness facilities or your client base to gauge the current demand.

With that being said, the BCRPA is widely recognized and is recognized nationally through the National Fitness Leadership Alliance (NFLA). BCRPA registered Fitness Leaders have recognition within the fitness industry as having met certain qualifications and standards as professionals.

For a full step by step guide to become registered with the BCRPA, you can go to the How to Become Registered section section.

As we recognize that many individuals come to the BCRPA having a range of experience and education, we also have Course-by Pass, Transfer, and Grandparent applications that may allow you to by-pass certain portions of the registration process. You can find more information at the How to Become Registered section.

You can create an account on The Registry^® or Fitness Professionals website to create a new account.

You can locate the "Create New Account" link on the top right hand corner of The Registry^® website.

After inputting your email address, an email will be sent to you with a personalized login link that will allow you to set up a password to access your account.

Once you have logged in, be sure to complete your contact details such as your Name, Address, and Phone Number.

The Fitness Theory course is NOT a requirement for BCRPA registration, however it is highly recommended for exam candidates.

A list of BCRPA Approved Fitness Theory course providers is available online.

Fitness Theory manuals are not available for purchase from the BCRPA.

To purchase a fitness theory manual, you’ll need to order one from the publisher or a a bookstore (if available). The CFES and Body Blueprint manuals can be purchased directly from the supplier:

• CFES
• Body Blueprint

Once you have created an account on The Registry® and paid for the Fitness Theory exam, an e-mail will be sent to you with a link to our online booking form to schedule a pre-arranged sitting.

On the "Main Page" of your account on The Registry®, there will be a black box that has your First Aid/CPR details. If this is your first time entering your First Aid or CPR information into your account, it will say "No First Aid on Record/No CPR on Record". Click the "Update Now" link to fill out a brief form to input this information.

Course Type:

If you took your First Aid/CPR together, select "CPR and First Aid" under course type.

Certifying organization:

Select the organization that you took your certification with; if it is not listed, select "other" and type out the name of the organization in the Text Box that appears immediately below.

Course Dates:

• From date: The day you started your First Aid/CPR course
• To date: The day that you ended the course; if you took a one day course, you can leave this field blank.

Expiration date:

• This is the expiration date listed on your certificate.
• If no expiry date is specified, then input the date as 2 years from the date of issue.

Click the "Terms and Conditions" box and then "Save.

You are not required to submit copies of your certificates, unless you are flagged for a random audit after inputting your details.

BCRPA requires a minimum of Emergency First Aid and CPR-A; higher levels are also acceptable.

We consider First Aid & CPR valid according to the expiry date listed on the certificate; if no expiry date is listed, we will accept it as current for 2 years from the date of issue. Depending on your employer or facility, they may require higher levels or a more frequent re-certification.

First Aid/CPR must come from the following organizations or from companies that are authorized by them to provide these certifications:

• Red Cross
• St. John's Ambulance
• Canadian Ski Patrol
• Lifesaving Society, or
• Heart and Stroke Foundation. 

All courses must be done in-person; online training will not be accepted.

As an existing Fitness Leader, an account has already been created for you on The Registry® of Fitness Professionals. This account is under the last email address that the BCRPA had on file for you.

To access your account for the first time:

1. Go to The Registry® of Fitness Professionals website. Select the "Login" link in the upper right hand corner of the webpage.
2. Click “Request new password” and enter in your e-mail address.
3. Log-in to your email account. Your Inbox should include an email from The Registry®, with a personalized log-in link. Select the link, and you will be able to access your account and set up a new password.

If your expiry date is coming up, you will need to log-in to your account on The Registry® of Fitness Professionals to:

1. Input/update your CPR and First Aid certification details if they are expired, or near expiring
2. Check your CEC balance, and upload any outstanding Continuing Education Credits (CECs), if required
   • New leaders renewing for the first time are not required to earn CECs
   • Supervisor and Trainer of Fitness Leaders (SFLs and TFLs) require 20 credits in a renewal period
   • all other Fitness Leaders require 16 credits in a renewal period
3. Purchase your renewal:
   • The renewal payment of $150 is made available once your renewal requirements are completed and your CECs have been processed and approved (you’ll receive email notification once they have been processed).
   • The payment is accessed by clicking the “View details” link on your main page beside your expiry date notification. The “Manage Registration” link will also take you to the payment page.

Note: Fitness Leaders who have been expired for over 1 year must complete additional steps before they will be allowed to renew. Please contact the BCRPA office at registration@bcrpa.bc.ca for more information, or call 604-629-0965 ext. 221.

BCRPA registered fitness leaders are required to complete Continuing Education Credits (CECs) in order to renew their registration with the BCRPA every two years. There are many ways to earn CECs with most fitness leaders taking workshops throughout the two year time period in order to expand their knowledge and expertise in a specific subject area related to the fitness industry.

There are two types of workshops: pre-approved workshops and external workshops.

Pre-approved workshops:

Pre-approved workshops will provide you with a guaranteed number of CECs upon completion. In addition, these CECs will automatically be recognized within your personal account on The Registry® of Fitness Professionals as soon as the workshop presenter electronically enters a passing grade for you.

As a service for fitness leaders, the BCRPA generates a current listing of pre-approved workshops being offered by independent workshop providers*. This list is updated regularly on The Registry® website after you have logged in. All workshops listed on The Registry® website have been reviewed by BCRPA staff and have been pre-approved. Approval from the BCRPA means that the presenter is a current BCRPA Supervisor of Fitness Leaders (SFL) or Trainer of Fitness Leaders (TFL) and has provided a workshop outline and all workshop materials for review.

External workshops:

External workshops are not provided with guaranteed CECs in advance. Instead, workshop participants must fill out an online form and submit the required materials to the BCRPA for review following completion of the workshop.

There are a number of ways to earn Continuing Education credits for your renewal. Learn more about them below.

Post-secondary (University/College) classes are evaluated on a case by case basis, but in general 1 post-secondary Credit = 10 BCRPA CEC's

To submit an application for credit, log-in to your account on The Registry® of Fitness Professionals. Go tot he "Courses and Workshops" menu, then select "External Training - CEC Petition".

Please note that you will need to modify your answers for university/college courses. For example, you can input the following fields as such:

• Title: Name of Course
• From Date: Completion Date
• Hours: The amount of credit hours
• Presenter Name: Professor Name
• Location of Workshop: City or Online
• Workshop Contact E-mail: General contact email for institution
• Workshop Contact Phone: General contact number for institution

Note that there are 2 fields that will require you to upload documents.

• Detailed Workshop Description: Upload course syllabus (usually provided by instructor at the beginning of the course or as part of course materials)
• Attendance or Completion Certificate: Upload transcript (unofficial transcript is accepted)

Log-in to your account on The Registry® of Fitness Professionals website.

Go to the "Courses and Workshops" drop down tab to select one of the following CEC petition forms:

• BCRPA Pre-Approved CEC Form - Training that you have taken that was found off the BCRPA website. The workshop provider has already submitted the details of the training to the BCRPA for approval. Your attendance/completion certificate indicates the amount of BCRPA CECs you have received for participation.
• External Training CEC Petition - All other training/workshops. Yyou will be required to provide the course information in this CEC Petition form, including the course outline.

Complete the form and attach your completion certificate.

Both forms will require you to upload a copy of your attendance/completion certificate. This means that if you only have a hard-copy, you will have to scan the certificate or take a picture of it with a digital camera/cell-phone camera to upload an electronic version.

All forms must be reviewed and verified by a member of the Fitness Team, so your account will not be immediately updated; please allow 5-10 business days for your CECs to be processed.

There are two possible reasons why your account does not include the CECs you have submitted.

1. We have not reviewed your CECs yet.
2. Your CEC petition has been declined.

To check the status of your CEC petition, login to your account on The Registry® of Fitness Professionals.

Once you have logged in to your account, go to the "Courses and Workshops" menu, then select "CEC Petition History". You will be able to review the status of your CEC applications, including those that have been declined. An explanation is provided for declined CEC petitions. If applicable, please re-submit the CEC petition with the required corrections.

We are no longer mailing certificates - with The Registry® of Fitness Professionals, it's now easier than ever for your employers to verify your registration status with the BCRPA.

Make your profile public - employers can now verify your registration online

Once you have updated your profile, you will have the option of making your profile public or "listed". Then, all your employer has to do is search for your name on the front page of The Registry® to verify your registration details - no more waiting for the mail or lost certificates.

I still need a hard copy. Where can I get one?

Log-in to your account on The Registry® of Fitness Professionals. On the left hand side of the Main Page, select "Print Registration Confirmation". This document includes your name, registration expiry date, and fitness specialties.

As long as your registration, First Aid, and CPR certifications are up to date, you will be able to access the Registration Confirmation under the Main Page.

You can find a copy of the policy for your $2 million Commercial General Liability insurance coverage here. 

For a copy of your Personal Training insurance policy, please contact Alice Smith by email or call 604-269-1919